


Ramen with a Smile

by majcutiepatootie



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Romance, and a cute nar with a temper, featuring a brooding sasuke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-21 17:18:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11362002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/majcutiepatootie/pseuds/majcutiepatootie
Summary: Sasuke is an overworked Civil Rights Attorney who meets an annoying blonde at a ramen stand after work. What follows is a series of meetings in which Sasuke realizes perhaps the blond isn't so bad. I wrote this fic in part because of carrotcakebanditdoodle's art featuring a cute little Ramen AU where Nar owns a ramen stand, and honestly? I feel in love.





	Ramen with a Smile

                                                  

Sasuke had been working on a particularly difficult case, which  had lead to a grueling day at the  office. He worked for a small non-profit as a civil rights attorney. In other words, the pay was meager, at best, and the hours were long. Normally, the raven wanted nothing more than to head home and relax, but on this day his mind was in overdrive, so he opted instead for a stroll. 

He rolled his head back as he loosened his tie and unclasped a couple buttons of his shirt. The streets of Konoha were dimly lit, but neon storefront signs decorated the night sky. It was a Friday night, so the streets were bustling. Couples adorned the sidewalks and local restaurants. Further down the road, a stout, and rather drunk, man was tossed out of a bar. Sounds of laughter and the clinks of glasses wisped by.

Across the street, a warmly lit food stand caught his eye. There was nothing particularly exciting about it. In fact, whenever the raven ventured to this side of town he saw the stand, but never paid it any mind. But tonight something, rather someone, caught his attention. 

The curtain lifted to momentarily reveal a couple leaving and a smiling figure standing behind the counter before disappearing once again behind the flaps. To this day, he’s still not quite sure what drew his eye first, the unruly patch of blond hair, or the bulbous laughter. Nonetheless, he found himself crossing the street and taking at seat at the stand.

The blond figure had his back turned, appearing to be washing his utensils. He turned and flashed a bright smile, “Welcome!” his voice rung loudly in the small stand. The raven found himself enthralled by the radiant figure that stood before him. His haphazard blond hair glowed under the warm lights. Freckles donned his whiskered cheeks. And cerulean blue pools swirled in his eyes. 

The blond tilted his head to the side and wiped his arm across his forehead questioningly. “Do I have food on my face again?” he asked, looking down at his arm. The raven inhaled sharply, “Ah, no, sorry,” he replied, eyes downcast. “Hm, what can I get for ya?” he asked drying his hands. A blush crept up the raven’s cheeks as he realized he actually had no clue where he was. The blond, sensing his hesitation, quickly interjected “Ah, the miso ramen with char sui is my personal favorite,” he whispered behind his hand, leaning in. The raven suppressed the urge to lean back, once again finding himself engulfed in blue trenches. The blond’s breath mixed with his as warm feeling began to pool in his stomach before the blond suddenly pulled himself back, “I’ll take that a yes. Great!” he saluted and hurried around the kitchen, preparing the meal. 

“You know, I’ve never seen you here before,” the blond started, absentmindedly tapping the corner of his mouth with his finger. The raven followed the action, “What brings you here?” he smiled. He once again found himself in the spotlight. How uncharacteristic for a lawyer to have nothing to say. He mentally cuffed himself. “I mean, a good looking guy like you alone on a Friday night, eating in a ramen stand at 12:30A?” he laughed. The raven arched a brow, a smirk tugging at his lips at the blond’s comment. “Oh! Uh, ha, I mean- not like- what I meant to say was- _shit!_ ” the blond muttered. A small cloud of smoke began to form over the simmering pork. He flipped them to reveal a charred side. “I had no idea char was short for charred,” he teased, a chuckle breaking free from his lips, earning him a scowl. “Oh, perfect. The first time he’s decided to acknowledge me, and it’s ‘cause I burned his food,” the blond huffed.

“Maybe if you knew how to cook-“ he started, “Watch it, bastard,” the blond cut in, waving a spatula in the raven’s face. “Respect the cook, isn’t that what they say?” he threw his hands up as he walked off to grab some fresh pork. “On the contrary, it’s _kiss_ the cook,” the raven corrected. “Hey! Don’t go gettin’ any ideas!” he shouted. “And anyways, it was a ridorical question.” The raven scrunched his face in confusion, “you mean, _rhetorical_?” he corrected again, barely managing to suppress a laugh. “Well! Mr. Know-It-All, why don’t you come back here an' cook your ramen too!” he chided. “Perhaps-“ “Enough,” the blond glowered. 

Silence settled between the two as the blond began to prepare the raven’s food. In no time, he had a piping hot bowl of ramen set before him. “Second time’s a charm, eh?” the blond prodded, wiggling his eyebrows. The raven started to correct him, “Don’t,” he sighed, turning to wash the dishes. 

“It’s quite delicious, actually,” he offered as he placed his chopsticks next to his empty bowl. “Thanks!” the blond beamed, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN ACTUALLY?” he barked as the raven paid his bill and turned on his heels to leave. 

The cold air greeted him as he exited the stand, but he hardly noticed. However, in the raven’s defense, he didn’t notice he spent the entire walk home smiling to himself either.

****

A couple weeks had passed since the raven last visited the ramen stand. He was busy with his firm working a case they had since won. “Ah, let’s celebrate!” Tenten chirped stretching her arms above her head. “I’m sure Kakashi wouldn’t mind buying drinks! He hardly pays us, so it’s the least he can do,” she grumbled loud enough for Kakashi to hear. Tenten threw her arm around Neji, who begrudgingly agreed. “Plus superiors who reward their subordinates have a better performing staff, right?” “In my eyes, there are no superiors and subordinates,” Kakashi began, appearing from his office, earning him a collective eye roll from his crew. Everyone started out the door as the raven packed his laptop in his messenger bag. “Are you coming?” Tenten asked. “Not tonight,” he responded. “Ah, a hot date this Friday night?” Kakashi asked, eyes smiling. His boss had always been rather nosey when it came to his staff’s dating lives. The raven simply shook his head. “Such a tease,” Kakashi smirked.

The raven looked down at his watch, wondering what would be open during this hour, but he had already absentmindedly begun his walk to a certain Ramen Stand on the other side of town.

He opened the flaps to reveal the blond whipping down the counters and whistling a tune. “Ah, the snarky bastard has returned! My ramen must be pretty great!” a smug smile spread across his face. “Well, if I don’t eat here who will?”  the raven mused. “You’re a real bastard, ya know?” the blond crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head. “Surely even you have a wider vocabulary than just ‘bastard’?” “Bastard!” the blond began, “Dammit!” he wailed, realizing he played right into the raven’s hand.

“Same as last time?” he asked, pulling pork from the small fridge. The raven simply nodded. He watched the blond closely as he prepared his food with nimble fingers. “How long have you been employed here?” the raven asked. “Ah, well, considering I own the place… about four years now,” the blond beamed, clearly taking pride in his accomplishment. “You? Own this place?” he looked around suddenly gaining a new found appreciation for the little stand. “Yea- HEY DON’T SOUND SO SURPRISED!” the blond bit back, scoring him a chuckle from the raven.

“What made you decide to open a ramen stand?” the raven asked as a bowl of ramen was set in front of him. “Ah, well, let’s see,” the blond started, scratching the back of his head. He absentmindedly followed the action, watching his muscles play under the form-fitting chef jacket. The raven brought his chopsticks to the corner of his mouth as the blond jabbered on. He really did talk too much the raven thought to himself. Too animated as well. He watched as the blond’s arm flew around. His eyes lit with childish wonder as he described his love affair with ramen. A joyous laughter erupted from the blond followed by a reminiscent sigh. 

“-yeah, so that’s about the gist of it, ya know?” he smiled fondly at the raven. “Ah, your ramen has probably gone cold,” he said, motioning towards the bowl. The raven looked down to see nearly a full bowl of ramen. He mentally chided himself, “You talk too much,” the raven answered. “I’ll have you know I _won’t_ make you another bowl,” he huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. “I can take it home with me,” he offered. “WHAT?” the blond yelped, grabbing the raven’s chopsticks and the bowl of ramen, “It’s best enjoyed _fresh_. Besides, I don’t have any to-go cups,” the blond shrugged, as he scarfed down the ramen. Idly, the raven wondered how the man managed to stay in business. Nonetheless, he paid his bill and set out to his apartment.

***

The weekend rolled around again as the raven made his way across town to his new Friday night hangout. 

He lifted the flaps and was greeted with warm blue eyes looking up at him. “You know, if I didn't know any better, I’d say the prickly bastard actually likes me,” the blond cooed, blue eyes glimmering mischievously. “Tch,” he smirked. That’s the best he could do? the raven thought to himself, and he called himself a lawyer.

“You know I’m really beginning to worry about you spending your Friday nights here,” the blond started as he placed the pork on the grill. “I know you’re a bastard and all, but even you must have friends, right?” he teased. The raven took a moment to think. He had acquaintances, sure, at work and some old college buddies. “Oh, god,” the blond paled, “you don’t?” he croaked. “Tch, of course, I have friends. Some of us, however, work for a living,” the raven asserted.

“What _do_ you do?” the blond asked, placing his regular order of ramen in front of him. “I’m a civil rights attorney,” the raven responded. “One hand, I’m surprised, ya know, ‘cause you’re a total bastard and all, but on the other hand, I’m not. You seem like the intellectual type,” the blond met the raven’s gaze, blue eyes swirling, and he swore time stopped. The blond suddenly bit his lip, fighting back laughter, “Uh, you’ve got a bit-“ he pointed to the corner of his mouth before bursting into a fit of laughter. The raven grabbed a napkin and wiped the corner of his mouth where a solitary noodle hung from his lips. A deep red painted his checks. Certainly, the blond’s idiot tendencies must be rubbing off on him, he thought to himself. 

The blond finally composed himself after what seemed to be an _eternity_ only to roar into laughter again upon looking at the raven.

He watched as the blond literally seemed to light up. A faint pink dusted his whiskered cheeks from the laughter. Tears welled at the corner of his eyes. Strong arms wrapped around his stomach as he hunched over _still_ laughing. “It’s just-“ he managed between chokes, “You looked-“ but no matter how hard he seemed to try, the blond couldn't get it out. All the poor raven could do was watch. He tried to look as angry as he could while he ate his ramen, but he was fighting a losing battle. 

The blond finally came around only to find some crumpled up bills and an angry raven storming out of his stand.

***

“You’re late,” the blond noted as Sasuke walked into the familiar stand. He glanced at his watch, noting the time was 12:55A. “Rough day at work then?” the blond inquired. “Hn,” the raven grunted. “Wanna talk about it?” he asked as he filled two ochoko with sake. “Sake and ramen?” the raven asked, quirking a brow, “And, no, not necessarily,” he added, taking a sip of the warm liquid. 

At least, that’s what the raven wanted to believe, but, as per usual, he over-estimated himself. And he was (not) surprised to find himself thoroughly drunk. 

“I jus’ don’t understand how we call ourselves a _developed_ _nation_ , and yet some people s’ill don’t have access to _clean water_ ,” the raven emphasized, slamming down his now empty ochoko. Too many times empty, if he was honest with himself. “Lis’en, I _get it_ ,” the blond drawled, clearly enjoying himself as well. By now, the blond had taken a seat too inebriated to stand on his own. He cupped the raven’s face, turning him towards himself and placed their foreheads together. “Look, you’re’a great person, an’ you’re doin’ great work. Don't beat yerself up,” the blond declared. 

The raven stilled. The newfound heat in the room could be attributed to one of three things, he thought to himself: 1) alcohol makes you feel warm, right? 2) the grill might still be on, and it was warming up the little stand 3) the blond must have changed the light bulbs because _wow._

Onyx eyes watched expressive blue ones. They weren’t blue like the sky, or even like the forget-me-not petals from his favorite flower shop. Hues of blue crashed together like waves behind thick eyelashes. Eyes this blue didn’t exist, he was sure of it.

“Tha’s just what you have to keep telling yerself, ya know?” the blond continued, dropping his hold of the raven’s face, leaving him feeling cold. “Er els’you’ll get discouraged,” the blond murmured. “Hey,” the raven looked towards the blond, “Whatchu’re doing here’s important too in it’s’own special way.” He wanted to tell him how no matter what, the raven kept finding himself gravitating towards this stand because, because- hell, even he didn’t know why. The raven captured the magnetic blue orbs again.

“’s late,” the blond slurred, interrupting his thought process. “I gotta close, y’know,” he stumbled off the stool. “Don’t live here,” he grumbled. They both stepped out of the stand, and the raven watched the blond roll down the steel shutters and lock up. “Mm, thanks fer waiting,” the blond smiled, albeit it was a rather crooked smile. The raven simply nodded. 

They walked down the street in companionable silence. The streets were fairly abandoned at this hour. Nothing remained open, fair a few (questionable) bars here and there. “Hey, why d’ya keep comin’ back every week?” the blond asked breaking the silence between the two. “Ah,” the raven looked ahead. He was still trying to figure that out for himself. “This’s my turn,” he commented, as he turned down the street. The blond stood, watching the raven disappear into the night.

***

“At this point, I should just have your ramen ready for you,” the blond commented as the raven took a seat. “You shouldn't hurt yourself thinking that far ahead into the future,” he retorted. “I think,” the blond started as the pork sizzled between them, “I hate you,” he finished. 

The blond took a seat next to him, having wiped them both up a bowl of ramen. “My birthday is next week, and so a couple of my friends are coming to the stand are they’re all going to cook ramen. And since you’re here every Friday anyways, you should join us!” he proposed as he slurped up his noodles. As the raven turned to look at him, a lone noodle jerked up and smacked the blond in the nose. His face scrunched up as he roughly wiped his face on his sleeve. His nose glowed red from the abrasion, and his eyes went crooked trying to check it. The raven smiled, “Ah, yeah, sure I’ll be there.”

The blond jumped up, pumping a fist in the air. “It’s gonna be great, ya know!” he exclaimed. “I think you’ll like my friends,” the raven could tell he was getting excited. “Well, you’re a bastard, and I’m starting to think you don’t like anything besides ramen, but you’ll warm up to them, I’m sure!” Before the raven could defend himself, the blond started again, “They’re the best, ya know! There’s Kiba, who’s really just a dog in corporeal form, but he’s like my best friend. And there’s Sakura. She’s a real cutie, but, man, don’t cross her! She’s got like this super human strength! And there’s Shikamaru, of course. He’s too cool for his own good. And Choji, who never stops eating. I bet his ramen is gonna be stellar! Oh! Can’t forget Lee. He’s, uh, well? He’s Lee.” 

The raven listened to him drone on about his friends. He was positively glowing talking about them. He found himself wondering if the blond thought of him that way. What would those pink lips have to say about him. _I met this bastard, ya know? He keeps coming to my shop every week. He’s kind of weird-_ he shook himself back to reality.

The raven watched as the mop of blond hair bounced on top of his head. How the freckles seemed to dance on his whiskered cheeks. How his muscles played under his chef jacket from his excited movements. How, sometimes, if he got too excited, he’d bite his lip as if giving his idiot brain some time to catch up with his stupid, overjoyed heart.

What was he going on about again? The raven thought to himself, “… for like seven or eight years, ya know? So we’re pretty close-“ the blond jabbered on. Oh, god, surely the idiot doesn’t actually think he’s listening to all this, right? He really does talk too much.

“Do you have friends like that?” his comment jarred the raven from his thoughts. “Not necessarily, no,” he thought out loud. The blond’s smile slowly faded, and a detectable pity swirled around in his soft blue eyes. The raven certainly needed none of that. “I’ll see you next week,” he stood fishing some money from his wallet and turned abruptly to leave.

***

The raven spent all week wondering what to get the idiot blond for his birthday. Surely, he should still show up with something besides cooking ramen. Despite having met with the blond faithfully for the past month, he felt as though he knew nothing about him. Not his favorite artist, nor his favorite movie, or even his favorite color (though, if he had to guess, he’d assume orange; the stand was practically swimming in it).

As he walked down the street, a small shop caught his eye, and right there in the window was, perhaps, the greatest gift _ever_. 

Already he could hear the blond’s laughter. He rolled his eyes as he crossed the street, and entered the unusually crowded stand. “Ah, you made it!” the blond jumped off his stool, wrapping the raven in a warm embrace. Is it possible to will blush away? he thought to himself. 

As the blond pulled away, the raven looked at him curiously. He had never seen him outside his chef jacket. His orange crewneck contrasted sharply with the raven’s black cashmere sweater. Faded jeans hung low on his hips help up by a leather belt.

“Everyone, this is the bastard I told you guys about!” They all turned to smile at him. “This is Shikamaru, Choji, Sakura, Kiba, and Lee!” The raven nodded at them. “See, didn’t I tell you he’s quiet? But that’s okay ‘cause I think he’s a really cool guy,” the blond settled back on his stool. “Yeah, but there’s a lot to be said about a man of few words,” the pink haired girl cooed.

Everyone took their turns making ramen for the blond, who was thrilled. Sometime after the first bowl, the blond, Kiba, and Lee started a ‘who can eat the fastest’ competition, which ended in noodles flying all over the place. The raven had to give them props though because the pink haired girl’s food was atrocious. 

The raven had never seen the blond outside of their Friday night rendezvous.  He’s essentially the same person just… happier, if that’s even possible, he wondered. He still talks too much. Gets too excited. But the smile on his face when he’s around his friends is unlike any smile he’s ever given the raven before, and that hurts more than he’d like to admit.

It’s almost like a dance the way they interact with one another, he thought to himself.

“Hey, Sakura, does this count as a date?” the blond cooed, rubbing his shoulder against the pink haired girl. She promptly cuffed him across the head. “You stupid fox! What makes you think this would be a date? We’re all here, dummy. It’s your birthday,” Kiba explained. “I admire your hot-blooded spirit!” Lee enthused, “Let’s do 500 push-ups! Once Sakura sees our youthful bodies, she’s sure to fall in love!” he jumped up, pumping his fist in the air. “I need better friends,” Shikamaru started, “you guys are too troublesome.”

Perhaps, describing it as a ‘dance’ isn’t quite the right word, the raven sighed.

He glanced down at his watch, noticing everyone shuffling out of the stand, saying their final ‘happy birthdays’ and ‘goodbyes’. “I can help you clean up,” the raven offered after the last one left. “That’d be great! But you don’t have to,” the blond objected. The raven simply shrugged, gathering the dirty bowls and stacking them in the sink. “You’re different around your friends,” he piped. The blond stilled, “Ah, yeah. Well, they’re my best friends, and I’ve just known them for so long, ya know?” he smiled. The raven’s eyes narrowed as he washed the dishes; no, he quite didn’t know.

Once again, the raven watched the blond roll down the steel shutter. They began walking down the street in silence. “You know-“ the blond started, but he was promptly cut off, “Here,” the raven interrupted, shoving a neatly wrapped box towards him. He quickly turned his head in a failed attempt to conceal his creeping blush. The blond tilted his head in confusion as he grabbed the box. “Happy birthday,” the raven mumbled. “Ah, y-you really shouldn’t have,” he hesitated, carefully opening the box. Folded neatly inside was an orange bandana adorned with tiny fish cake rolls. The raven bit his lip in a show of nerves as the blond pulled the bandana out of the box. 

“Wow, bastard,” the blond began, eyes glistening, “I’m not sure if I should laugh at the near perfect execution of this joke, or cry.” Cerulean blue eyes looked up to meet onyx, “Ya know, I don’t think we’ve formally introduced ourselves, bastard. Uzamaki Naruto.” And there it was. That radiant, disarming smile reserved for the blond’s best of friends. “Uchiha Sasuke,” the raven smiled, shaking his hand.

“Ya know, I think we’re gonna be great friends,” Naruto smiled throwing his arm around Sasuke’s shoulder. He smiled in response; they’d work on the ‘friends’ thing later.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this like months ago, but I guess I finally got the courage to post it? Anyways, shoutout to carrotcakebanditdoodles again for the stellar art that I drew inspiration from. Attorney!Sasuke is like? a big kink of mine lmao. Every AU I write features Sasuke as a dorky attorney because he's just a Good boy. Also, shoutout to the stellar writers on this site who are just so good I developed this massive inferiority complex that kept me from posting lmao.


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